This invention relates to a media supply tray for use with image forming devices such as but not limited to photocopying machines, printers and facsimile machines.
Media trays of a telescopic design are known to be used for accommodating media stacks. The size of these media trays can be adjusted to support stacks of media of different sizes. A telescopic media tray typically includes a first tray portion that is coupled to a second tray portion. The first tray portion is moveable relative to the second tray portion to form a tray having an overall size that is variable depending on the position of the first tray portion relative to the second tray portion. To prevent media supported in the tray from being easily dislodged, the first tray portion is typically locked to the second tray portion after the first tray portion is adjusted to a selected position relative thereto. Media that is dislodged in the tray may result in skew, or worse, media jam when drawn into an image forming device.
A known locking mechanism used for locking the first tray portion to the second tray portion includes a right-angled lever that is pivoted to a sidewall of the first tray portion. The lever is tiltable about the pivot between a locked and an unlocked position. In the locked position, the lever engages one of a number of slots defined in the second tray portion to thereby lock the first tray portion in position relative to the second tray portion. Some users view such a locking mechanism as not very user-friendly because three separate actions are required to complete the adjustment of the first tray portion from one position to another relative to the second tray portion. The three separate actions are 1) unlocking the first tray portion by flipping the lever in one direction to an unlocked position, 2) grasping the first tray portion and moving it toward or away from the second tray portion, and 3) locking the first tray portion in position by flipping the lever in the other direction to the locked position. Thus, a media tray that is not as cumbersome to operate is desirable.